In December 2016, the Russian research ship Akademik Treshnikov will sail from Cape Town, embarking on the very first scientific expedition to undertake a complete circumnavigation of the continent of Antarctica.

How does the snow saltation reacts to the unsteady wind forcing is still poorly understood. In our cold wind tunnel we investigate the dynamics of the drifting snow as well as its interaction with the turbulent boundary layer flow.

What are the processes determining wintertime snow deposits in Alpine terrain? How does the energy balance of a thinning snowpack shift in springtime conditions? And why do some patches of snow persist longer than others?

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, to which SLF belongs

The WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF is part of the Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL and thus belongs to the ETH Domain. It engages in research and scientific services with focus on snow, avalanches, other alpine natural hazards, permafrost and mountain ecosystems. Its best-known service is the avalanche bulletin.